Keeping skins fair and beautiful is what many women hope, and many whitening cosmetics have therefore been developed. For example, whitening cosmetics can be exemplified by cosmetics containing ascorbic acid or a derivative thereof, kojic acid or a derivative thereof, tranexamic acid or a derivative thereof, hydroquinone glycoside, or the like. However, most of the cosmetics have a mechanism utilizing the action of inhibiting tyrosinase and inhibiting the biosynthesis of melanin, and we had to say that there is a limit on its effect. That is, even though the whitening cosmetics containing those ingredients as active ingredients are effective for symptoms such as age spots, freckles, and dark complexion that result from the abnormally accelerated production of melanin, we had to say that such whitening cosmetics do not have much effect on dyschromatosis to which the amount of melanin produced less contributes. In other words, there exists dyschromatosis for which tyrosinase inhibitors are not or less effective, and it has been desired that means for alleviating such dyschromatosis is developed.
On the other hand, examples of dyschromatosis to which the amount of melanin produced less contributes include those resulting from the accelerated migration of melanin granules from melanocytic dendrites. Although it is considered for such dyschromatosis to treat by inhibiting the elongation of dendrites that occurs when melanocytes allows melanin granules to migrate, not so many whitening agents utilizing such a mechanism have been known. That is, it can be said that there has been a demand for the development of whitening agents utilizing such a mechanism.
On the other hand, Ophiopogon Tuber (Bakumondo) has widely been used in Chinese herbal medicines for the purpose of improving body fluids (JP-A 2000-103718). Although it has been also already known that Ophiopogon Tuber is incorporated as an active ingredient having moisture retention (JP-A 11-79968), as a melanin production inhibitor (JP-A 08-133949), and as a lipid-degrading agent (JP-A 2000-103718) in the field of skin preparations for external use such as cosmetics, a compound represented by the following general formula (1) and/or a salt thereof, which is an ingredient incorporated in the Ophiopogon Tuber such as methylophiopogonanone B (2,3-dihydro-3-[(4-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-5,7-dihydroxy-6,8-dimethyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-on; hereinafter, also referred to as “Compound 1”) have (has) not been known in the least to inhibit the elongation of melanocytic dendrites, nor known to be useful for alleviating, by this action, dyschromatosis on which melanin production inhibitors utilizing usual tyrosinase inhibitory action are not or less effective.
Moreover, a compound represented by the general formula (1) and/or a salt thereof such as methylophiopogonanone B have (has) been known to be incorporated in Ophiopogon Tuber or the like (Watanabe Yoshiaki el. al., Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulltin, (1985), 33(12), 5358–5363), and separation methods thereof have also already been known.